metadata
noun
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How Metadata Was Formed
It's easy to find data on the source of "metadata": the word was formed by combining "data" with "meta-," which means "transcending" and is often used to describe a new but related discipline designed to deal critically with the original one. "Meta-" was first used in that way in "metaphysics" and has been extended to a number of other disciplines, giving us such words as "metapsychology" and "metamathematics." "Metadata" takes the "transcending" aspect a step further, applying it to the concept of pure information instead of a discipline. "Metadata" is a fairly new word (it appeared in the latter half of the 20th century), whereas "data" can be traced back to the middle of the 17th century.
Examples of metadata in a Sentence
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Mar. 2026
The company will oversee recording projects from pre-production through final delivery, managing various aspects such as schedules, budgets, booking, union coordination, metadata collection, and label communication.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 4 Mar. 2026
This is not tricky to understand, the way that NSA bulk collection of metadata might be.
—Sarah Jeong, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2026
And now that the alerts system has gone live, users receive a tiny, fuzzy image with some astronomical metadata of each observation that fits their criteria—all just a couple of minutes after Rubin captures the original image.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 26 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for metadata
Cite this Entry
“Metadata.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metadata. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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